Please Remember Me
by inugirl232
Summary: Lucy wakes up in a desert with no recollection of who she is or why she's there. She finds a comrade and regains some memories, but when she makes it back to Fairy Tail, does she really want to get these memories back? First person (Lucy); Natsu x Lucy, Gray x Juvia, Jellal x Erza, Gajeel x Levy
1. Chapter 1

There's a searing pain in my side. My eyes flutter open, and there's an overcast sky above me. I look to my right, and I see blood on the ground. Frightened, I try to sit up and move away from it. It hurts. I cry out. My head hits the ground; it's very dry. I curl up my fist, and it picks up sand. The ground is cracked underneath my knuckles. I'm in a desert.

Gray. The sky is gray, the ground is dull orange, and the blood next to me has dried to a dark maroon. It's all so gray…

Who am I? Why am I here? I go to sit up again slowly, ignoring the pain. There's something black on my hand, so I try to shake it off. It's not moving. The black stuff is all over me. Are they bugs? I start panicking. _Gross! _I look closer; it's writing. Scrawled on my left hand are these words:

YOUR NAME IS LUCY HEARTFILIA

Lucy… Heartfilia? It has a familiar ring to it. I look down at more of the scribbles.

YOU ARE A WIZARD

I'm a wizard? Really? The sharp pain in my side strikes again. Maybe I was in a battle. That'd be cool.

HE TOOK YOUR KEYS

That note is written around my arm, so I have to turn it to read it. Keys… that means I'm a celestial wizard, right? And who took them?

The writing goes around my legs, arms, and stomach, and I had a hard time reading a lot of it. Here's what I discovered: I'm Lucy Heartfilia, I'm seventeen years old, I'm a celestial wizard whose keys were stolen, I am a member of Fairy Tail, and I'm supposed to find the one I'm in love with.

I stand up unsteadily and hobble forward. I don't really know where I'm going, but maybe I'll find a town. This was the way I was facing, anyway, so there must've been a point to it. There's a huge thunder clap above me, and I flinch in surprise. Water starts to fall, and I'm surrounded in a light sheen of it.

"Damn it all," I growl.

My hand is clutching the sore part of my ribs, and I'm limping. The wounds have stopped bleeding, but they hurt like hell.

The rain's pouring really hard now. Isn't this a desert? Should it be raining like this? I slip on a slab of mud, and the whole front of my body hits the ground with a _smack_. I'm just… going to lie here.

The rain pools around my arm, and the thought of water gives me hope. I have a weapon, a special weapon for the water. I concentrate. There's a spirit I have for the water, right? If I'm a celestial wizard, and water gives me hope, it must be true. What is it, then? I'm getting frustrated. My hand clenches again, and mud squelches around it.

Suddenly, a woman materializes in front of me. She's making her body out of the water.

"It's you," she gasps, backing away slowly, "Lucy."

"Who are you?" I choke. My throat's really dry…

"That's right, you… I'm Juvia. Do you remember me?" She points down at me angrily. "You're the one trying to bewitch my Gray-sama!"

Is 'Gray' the one I love? It must be, if I'm trying to take him away from her.

"Juvia, can you help me?"

"Of course I can," she says a little proudly.

Collecting the water around her, Juvia uses the bubble she creates to surround me and pick me up.

"We'll go to the closest town." She smiles back at me, and then turns forward. We fly in the direction I was walking in, and I start to lose consciousness.

_Juvia is fighting next to a blue-haired man with a strange tattoo on his face. I almost have his name… Jellal… I think. Yes, Jellal is his name. Jellal's face tightens in shock and horror, and a blur of red hair slumps to the floor. It doesn't get up. He screams for the fallen comrade…_

…and I look up to see a wooden ceiling. I'm in a bed, and the softness of it rushes against my skin, soothing me. Juvia's at the bedside, talking with a man. She glances down at me, sees I'm awake, and turns toward me eagerly.

"Lucy, can you hear me?"

I nod.

"I would tell you exactly what's happening, but your body is possessed by a magic force that won't allow anyone to tell you." She looks devastated now, but she continues: "I think we can get it back some if we show you where you're from, though." The man walks out of the room discreetly, and he brings back another girl about my age. She has short, silver-ish hair, and she's wearing a really torn up pink dress. She's trying not to cry.

"Lisanna…"


	2. Chapter 2

"Lisanna…" I whisper on instinct. I feel stupid, but then I realize that's her real name. I feel my eyes widen, and reality fades again.

_Lisanna is standing in front of two people. One's a really tall man with spiky, white hair, and the other is a shorter, older-looking version of Lisanna with long, wavy hair. They look up at her in awe and the older Lisanna …Mira… Mira runs over to her and hugs her. It's raining, and the rain mixes with their tears. The man is hugging the both of them. It's such a warming scene…_

I'm back in the bedroom again. The whole room is wooden, not just the ceiling, I notice.

"Did you remember anything?" Juvia whispers.

"Mira, and another person… a man," I confirm quietly. There's a very somber air in the room. The man has left again.

"So it works, then. We'll have to bring you home." Juvia stands, rests a comforting hand on Lisanna's shoulder, and turns back to me. "Your wounds should be completely healed now. We should leave soon." I nod and sit up. Lisanna starts sobbing, and Juvia gently tries to calm her down.

"He's heartbroken, 'ya know," Lisanna manages to cough out. "I know he cares for his nakama, but even _I _can't help him now…"

"Shh, I know. It'll be okay."

"What if Zeref comes back?"

_Zeref. _My heartbeat quickens. A shudder rockets through me. I remember something now, something more than what Juvia made me remember:

"_The Lullaby, the demon flute," a voice is whispering to me, "has been resurrected." Zeref is standing behind me, his hands on my shoulders, his lips brushing my ear as he speaks to me. I can't move. "You're the most important thing to him; therefore, I must use you to end him. So go on, destroy your beloved Fairy Tail." My limbs have been allowed to move, but now I choose not to go. He's getting angry with me. "Do it!" he bellows. A pink magic is frightened out of me, and in the next moment, I'm on the ground in a battlefield. Fairy Tail mages are being besieged by Zeref's army. Everyone is fighting their hardest, but I can't quite see them. A pretty woman with red hair and shiny armor kneels in front of me. "Are you okay?" she asks urgently. "Erza !" someone calls. Erza is gone for a split second, then she comes back to me. "Lucy!" she shouts. I ask who she is, what's going on, why is this happening, do you know me, who am I. "You're Lucy," she enunciates slowly, shocked. "You're a—" She's cut off by a blast of pink magic that resonates from me. Her body is thrown into the air; she hits the ground hard. She doesn't get up. Jellal screams her name. The pink magic is engulfing the Fairy Tail members, attacking them brutally. I want to stop. I don't want to hurt them. A glimpse of fire blazes past me, jerking something away from my body. People are crying. Make them stop. The pink assaults them again, and some of the screaming dies away. They're in shock. I want whatever that fire guy took from me. He took a loop full of keys. Give them back! The pink stabs him in the stomach, twisting cruelly, and he hacks up blood. It stains his white scarf. "LUCYYYYYY!"_

I'm crying on the floor. I attacked Fairy Tail. My nakama. The ones I love.

"Lucy! What's wrong?" Juvia is on the floor next to me, hands clutching my shoulders. Why? Why did this happen? Why couldn't I stop myself?

"I'm not going home," I weep. "I'm not going home…" I hate this. Why? Who does Zeref want? Who thinks I'm the most important to them? Horror floods my body. I _killed_ people, too. I _killed_ my nakama. What if I killed the one I love, too? The air starts to permeate with the pink again. Lisanna and Juvia huddle together in a corner of the room. They don't want to leave me. I hurt them so much, and they don't want to leave me…

An image of Zeref fills my mind, and I scream with anger.

The pink lunges forward.


	3. Chapter 3

Konnichiwa, Minna-san! I realize that chapter two was really short, so I tried to lengthen it a bit. Chapter 4 is really exciting, i can't wait to post it! My story needs more reviews though. Here's ch.3! I hope you like it!

There's screaming all around me again. The pink is ripping the room to shreds. _It's all Zeref's fault! _None of this would've happened if he didn't want to destroy whoever. I hurt everyone. I hurt Juvia and Lisanna, too, I'm sure. Why am I such a terrible person? Why didn't I stop myself? It hurts so much…

Lisanna is crying out again, reaching towards me. "Please stop!" I realize that I'm only going to hurt them again, and I attempt to calm down. The pink recedes and dissipates. Only silence remains. The room is in shambles, the mattress of the bed I was resting on leaning, almost protectively, over Juvia and Lisanna. The man comes back in the room.

"Is everything ok?" he asks quietly, sensing the stillness in the air.

"Yes," Juvia replies. "Did you notify them?"

"They sent someone on their way."

"…I'm sorry," I murmur, holding back tears. "I don't want to hurt anybody…" so I can't go back to Fairy Tail.

"Well if you're sorry," Lisanna barks, getting up and standing in front of me, "get your ass back to Fairy Tail! They all care about you," she pauses, lost in her thoughts for a second. "They want to see if you're okay."

"But—" Lisanna grips my wrist and pulls me up so I'm nose-to-nose with her.

"We _love _you, Lucy. You haven't done anything to betray us on purpose. You'll have a fair trial with the Magic Counsel, and I'm sure you'll win," she hisses. Juvia steps outside the door, apologies starting to fly at the man for demolishing his room. Lisanna waits for the door to shut before continuing. "The one I love is also waiting for you." She smiles sadly. "He'll be devastated if you don't come home."

My eyes widen a little bit, but I don't question anything. I build my resolve to leave. I brace my knees and stand on my own, and Lisanna loosens her grip on my shirt. I smile at her apologetically. She grins back.

I look around at the destruction of the room. I could clean this up, I think… I reach for my keys instinctively, forgetting that they weren't there. The fire guy with the white scarf took them. I frown. He'll be the first one I want to find, but he's probably in Zeref's army. That'll make him difficult to catch. I slap the palm of my hand on my forehead in frustration.

"Why did that _moron _have to take my keys?" I grumble indignantly. "I'm probably never getting them back now. All I have to fight with is my whip."

"Moron?" I forgot that Lisanna is still here.

"Yea, some fire magic guy with a white scarf—he took my keys." She blinks at me and says nothing.

Juvia bursts into the room. "Can we leave yet?" Lisanna and I give her a thumbs-up.

"Then, let's go."

…X…..x…..X…..

We step outside of the building, and I realize we're in Oshibana. Fairy Tail is in Magnolia, isn't it? That's two or three cities away. I didn't get very far. Come to think of it… how did I even get to that desert? I must've been going to the mountains or something.

"How did you guys know where to find me?"

The two mages turn their heads and look at me quizzically.

"We didn't know where to find you; that's why the search parties were…" Juvia trailed off, realizing that I didn't know what was going on.

"Fairy Tail is trying to find you before the authorities do, which we've done."

"We made a deal with the Magic Counsel," Lisanna adds. "If we find you before they do, then they give you a trial instead of execution."

A wave of terror washes over me. _Execution?_

"What exactly did I _do_?" I choke. The girls glance at each other.

"I don't think we can tell you," Juvia says. "That pink magic could attack again."

"Stop where you are!"

Men in armor start flooding the streets, surrounding us.

"There's no use trying to fight," one of the men announces. "Hand over Lucy Heartfilia." We just look around, bewildered.

"Lisanna," I whisper, "didn't you say that they couldn't take me if you found me first?"

She nods at me, but she looks just as confused as I do.

One of the soldiers marches up and grabs me, and I pull away. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't take me in!"

"Listen, little miss, you're wanted by the law. We have every right to take you in." The guard grabs my wrist and yanks me back toward him while Lisanna and Juvia are being restrained. They shout angrily at the soldiers.

"Enough!" The call resonates in the air, and everyone pauses. Erza, followed by a shirtless man, steps into the ruckus. Erza holds up a piece of rolled up parchment.

"Lucy Heartfilia is under the jurisdiction of the Magic Counsel. Fairy Tail is to take her into custody." The soldiers mutter amongst themselves and look over at their commander. "On what grounds?" he queries sharply.

"The crime was committed using magic under magical circumstances, and the defense for her case also requires magic. Therefore, she's in the Counsel's hands," the shirtless man says. The commander grumbles something to himself and sighs. "Release them. Heartfilia belongs to Fairy Tail and the Magic Counsel." The three of us are let go (rather reluctantly, I might add), and the soldiers shuffle off to prowl the city.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia cheers, running towards the shirtless man. Running towards Gray.

Of course it's Gray. I blink. I remember things about him: his teacher Ur, Deliora, Lyon, the Games. They're fairly happy memories, and the fit nice and snuggly in my mind. Things make more sense now… including the fact of why he's shirtless. I remember my magic, as well—Aquarius, Virgo, Cancer, Taurus, Plue, Loke… I remember all of them, and it just makes me angrier at the fire wizard. While I'm seething, Juvia hooks onto Gray's arm and glares at me defensively. I check out Gray up and down. I don't think this weirdo is the one I love. Juvia can have him. I smile at her encouragingly, and she stares in return. Erza taps me on the shoulder.

"We need to go back. You've been missing for almost a month." Oh god… a _month_? Suddenly, she jerks me against her, smacking my head on her armor. _I think I got a concussion, _I weep internally.

"It's good to have you back, Lucy."

My eyes start to water from both the pain and the sentiment. Gray steps up behind me. "We've missed you… or, as it were, we tried to miss you." He looks away darkly, and my heart skips a beat. It's bad. It's really, really bad.

"Are you prepared?" Erza asks, lining up with Gray, Juvia, and Lisanna.

"Yes," I whisper, my stomach clenching. She nods at me and turns away, leading the way to Magnolia.

I'm finally going home, but the sense of foreboding won't leave my stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

We arrive at a rickety, old building with a beat-up windmill. Fairy Tail. It doesn't look in any better condition than it did before the Games, and yet, it's the most threatening building (shack, really) I've seen all day.

I feel sick. I still don't remember what I've done, but I think I'm in huge trouble. Perhaps enough that Fairy Tail hates me now… maybe I still have some friends in there, like Levy or Mira or Cana. A warm feeling settles in my chest as I think of Cana; she truly is very trustworthy, giving me advice, helping me, and trusting me with the information about her true father. My best friend, the binge drinker. I might not be alone when I walk in. Though the thought of her eases my nausea some, I can't find it in me to smile. Erza squeezes my shoulder comfortingly, and Lisanna grabs my hand. None of the four of them smile.

Juvia and Gray step forward and grab the handles to the doors. They glance back at me, and I nod softly. In slow motion, like a dream, the doors are pushed open.

The Fairy Tail mages are sitting at the tables. No one is standing if they aren't moving, and the movements are almost laborious. It's eerily quiet, for Fairy Tail. There's a steady murmur, but no signs of the telltale shouting that defines them.

Lisanna releases my hand and walks quickly and gingerly through the crowd, to a person passed out at the bar. She taps on his shoulder. He doesn't move, and then she shakes him awake. Erza leaves me and walks up the stairs on the far side of the room.

The guy Lisanna was arousing lifts his head. His back is facing towards me, and I can't see his face. I notice his pink hair and white scarf, and my eyes widen. Lisanna whispers something to him. His hands shift off of the counter. He's clutching my keys.

"Lucy's back!" someone asserts.

All eyes turn to me. I realize how scarred they are; there are body parts missing on some. Though I have an inkling of a thought that tells me not all of this was my fault, my nausea piques.

The worst part about it… is that none of them looked that angry with me. Not in the least. My eyes start to water, and I look down. There's a blurry hand holding my key ring with a blue ribbon. I stiffen, wipe my eyes, and look back up. The fire wizard is a mage of Fairy Tail. His abdomen is still bandaged where I stabbed him, though his scarf has been washed of his blood. My gaze travels up to his face.

He's smiling.

"I missed you, Lucy," the wizard says. I don't remember anything about him. Not even his name. Gray clasps the fire wizard's shoulder as a sign of affection. "We got her back." Somehow, I feel this is unusual. I don't know why. He then turns and grabs Juvia's hand. "Let's go," he murmurs. Juvia happily goes along with him.

"Do you remember me?" the fire wizard asks, a sort of hopeful desperation in his eyes. I shake my head 'no'. His face falls a little bit.

"Natsu-nii!" Romeo runs up to the fire wizard and grips his wrist. "My dad's doing better!" Natsu is the fire guy's name, I guess. I almost remember something, but it slips away into the back of my mind. Natsu grins at Romeo. "You better go visit him, then." Romeo nods and darts off to a corridor off to the right of the room. Natsu looks back at me. He clips my keys onto my belt and gently holds the ribbon with his teeth. He runs his fingers through my hair, smoothing out the knots. He makes a small ponytail on the right side of my head and ties it off with the blue ribbon. He just watches me for a little bit. I think I'm blushing. _Why is this guy looking at me so weird?! _

"There's something you need to see." He's not smiling anymore. He twines his fingers into mine and pulls me forward. I'm shocked at his actions, but I allow him to do it. I pass by Levy.

"Levy," I call out lightly. Gajeel steps in front of her protectively. Levy stares at me with the utmost sympathy and pity in her teary eyes.

"Natsu," I start, "where are we going?" He glances back at me but says nothing.

We turn down another hall on the left, a new addition to the shack that is Fairy Tail. The wood planks that make the walls are neater than the rest of the building, and they've been polished. White flowers have been put up around the frame of a doorway just ahead. This hallway was made for that room. We stop right outside of the room. Natsu turns around.

"I know you're strong, Lucy, but are you prepared to handle this?" I look at him quizzically, but I state my affirmation nonetheless. He lets go of my hand and gestures for me to move first. I step into the doorway.

I'm greeted by a white light. A half a second later, I see that this greeting is not a friendly one. There's a row of eight neat, metal tables, each with a human shape on them covered in sheets. There are neat little iron headstones at the head of each one with names carved into them. The feeling of dread seeps over me; it creeps in underneath my skin and clutches my heart and stomach, no different from the constricting coils of a deadly snake.

_These are the people I killed._

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…" the chant is uttered from my lips and continues, slurring together. I see the names on the headstones.

Jet.

Droy.

Nab Lasaro.

"Oh god oh god ohgodohgodohgodohgod no…"

Bisca Connell.

Wakaba Mine.

Reedus Jonah.

Freed Justine.

I freeze on the last one, not completely registering the name. That can't be right. Apparently, I've fallen on the floor. Someone is shrieking. I don't care if the person stops, she should just quiet down. Natsu wraps his arms around me. It's me. I'm the one who's screaming. That means the name I saw is true. It can't be true. It can't be true… not me. It can't be me that did this…

Natsu turns me away from the tombstone so I'm facing him, and I bury my face in his chest, clutching his scarf for dear life. I try to burn the image of her name from my mind.

_Cana Alberona. _

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Heaving sobs are wracking my body. Natsu offers me no words; he just holds me.

I killed people. I killed Cana—my beautiful, kind, silly, happy, drunk best friend. Gone. I can almost feel a pit of despair opening up beneath me, beckoning to me. Why did I even come home? The yawning abyss seems so tempting. I don't want to be strong. I want to mourn the brave mages of Fairy Tail and their disgustingly tragic deaths. I want to run all eight of their names through my head over and over and never forgive myself.

"Natsu," I weep. "I want to leave. I can't stay here after this…" I don't want to leave. I love Fairy Tail. But how could they, as kind as they are, forgive me for this?

"Lucy." Erza is standing in the doorway, averting her gaze to the left. "Don't leave us again."

"But I…"

Erza strides over to me, and Natsu lets go. She clasps a firm hand on my shoulder and stares directly into my eyes.

"You said so yourself, right? The strength of Fairy Tail comes from the individual strength of its members. They can overcome any obstacle that is thrown at them. This situation is not any different from any other tragedy that may occur."

Natsu leans back towards me, pats my head, and grins. "You're Lucy of Fairy Tail, right? Be proud of that, and hold your head high. It'll be alright." I start to cry harder.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Fairy Tail will forgive me eventually, even if I won't. That's just the type of people it's made up of. I killed my friends, and nothing will ever change that. I need to accept it. Move forward. Retrieve my memories and destroy the person who caused this.

Because that's how Fairy Tail works.

Erza hugs me gently this time. "Let's go, Lucy. Everybody wants to see you."

…..X…x…X…..

I step slowly back into the main room without anybody's support. My eyes feel all gross and swollen, and I'm pretty sure there are a few tears leaking out here and there. All eyes turn to me. All conversation is stopped. Levy treads over to me, looking up at me guiltily. Her eyes are flooding over.

"Lucy… I love you Lucy, but I don't know how long it'll take for me to…" she trails off. I know what she meant, though: _I don't know how long it'll take for me to forgive you. _That's okay, though. I deserve this.

"Levy, I understand," I smile weakly at her. "I just hope we can fight side-by-side again one day." Gajeel steps up behind her and puts a hand on her head. She blushes a little bit, but she looks happier.

There's a heavy thumping coming from the stairs, and the four of us look up to see Laxus clomping down them lazily.

"Grandfather's out for the week; I'm not going to pass any sort of judgment on you until he gets here." He grins. "The Magic Counsel will have to wait."

"The Magic Counsel will have to wait a bit longer than that, I'm afraid."

There's a sultry woman's voice echoing around the room. We all look around, alarmed. There's a figure in the doorway of the guild with flowing black hair. She has a wicked little smirk on her scarcely-eyebrow-ed face.

It's Sabertooth's Minerva.

"Sorry, Fairy Tail, but there's been word that our princess of destruction has returned." She looks directly at me. "Good job, little miss, but we need to take you back now." A black coil wraps around my waist and jerks me forward. I yelp, and Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel all grip the black coil in a dark game of tug-of-war. The coil punches my stomach with pain. I try to scream, but only a shrill cough comes out.

_They'll squeeze me in half if this continues! Just let go!_

With a final tug, the three men are shoved off to the side, and Minerva is holding me close to her. I try to get the black thing loose, but it pins my limbs to my torso. I am unable to move.

"Little Lucy wants her memories back; I suppose we'll have to oblige her."

"Let her go!" Gray launches himself forward, but he is stopped when Sting jumps in his way.

"Nice try, Ice Monkey." Natsu and Gajeel appear on either side of Gray defensively, scowls clear on their faces. _I dare you to take me on _is what they're saying.

"Today shall be the end of Fairy Tail." Minerva smiles, sugar sweet, and then she twitches with a swift movement.

I see Natsu's face go pale, and Mira cries out. I barely register the other members' screams, though. Pain would not even begin to describe how my stomach feels. Agony is a good word. I feel an unintentional shriek of that agony leave my body, but if only makes my stomach feel worse. My limbs are released. I am dangling sickly in the air, unable to move. I see a horrifying length of Minerva's sword jutting upwards from my stomach. My head tilts back, my neck unable to support it anymore. The evil she-mage twists her blade sharply, and I gag on the blood I cough up.

I don't feel good. People are moving around now, trying to fight, but piles of enemies just flood the room. The pain is numbing now, I'm dizzy, and my whole being is relaxing. I watch drowsily as my blood pools onto the floor. My eyes widen. There's a sudden shock in my brain.

I remember everything.

…..X…x…X…..

"Lucy!" Natsu called. "I found the perfect job for us!" I turned around, caught off guard by the sudden outburst.

"Natsu, what are you talking about?" It was the middle of the Games; what on earth could he want?

"It's a job only Fairy Tail mages can do—including you." He bounced up to me excitedly and plopped an arm around my shoulders. I winced; my body was still sore from my earlier battle with Flare.

"We have to win the Games." He smiled sweetly at me, hoping to cheer me up. If only a little, it was still working. I smiled at him in return.

I was growing self-conscious, though, because his face was so close to mine.

"I-I'm going to go shower," I stuttered, pulling away from him. He blinked at me and released my shoulders.

**. . .x. . .**

I was in my room after my shower, lost in my thoughts. _What did I think of Natsu? _The thought randomly popped in my head. Whenever I thought of him, my chest got all warm and my belly cramped. I wasn't dense; I knew what that meant. I had just been in denial before.

So, I loved Natsu. It wasn't a long, drawn-out process like it was in the stories. It wasn't a huge revelation I made. It just… it made so much sense when I admitted it to myself. Everything seemed so much brighter.

I froze, in the process of wringing out my hair. _How was I supposed to act around Natsu, now that I know?! _Normally, I guess. But… what was normal? _Do I tell him? When? _My face started to flame at the idea of confronting him about this. All the fantasies spinning around in my head… Natsu calling out my name… blushing… holding me…

I shook my head. Tonight would be a good time to tell him. I've loved him for a long time, so…

I put on the cutest dress I had—the same black-and-white lacy one I wore when I thought Natsu was confessing to me. I hoped he would tell me yes, like I was going to the first time I wore this dress…

I stumbled down the halls, hoping to find him soon. I looked into the lobby, and I _did _find him—with Lisanna. They were smiling and laughing, and she had that look of love in her eyes when she gazed at him. I felt sick. I almost ran away, but Natsu had spotted me.

"Hey Luce, what's up?" He walked up to me and stopped, cocking his head to one side. I almost giggled at that cute little quirk of his. Lisanna was looking over at us, confused and curious.

I opened my mouth to speak, and a squeaking sound came out. _Oh god oh god oh god… what if he says "no"? _I was almost too nervous to speak. My face flooded with red again. I clenched my hands into fists and shut my eyes nice and tight.

"Natsu, I …I love you!"

I almost yelled, I realized, and I wanted to shrivel up and die in a hole. I didn't even look up at Lisanna, let alone Natsu.

I whipped around and ran, only hoping a little that he would follow. He didn't.

I made it to my room, and I changed my outfit back to my standard white-and-blue shirt-and-skirt combo. No need to look cute anymore…

I need a reality check. I grab a small little notebook I found on my desk. I write this:

-You are Lucy Heartfilia

-You are seventeen

-You are a celestial wizard

-You are a wizard of Fairy Tail

-You are in love

Suddenly, there was an awful crashing sound. Screaming started to rise. I grabbed my keys, clipped them to my belt, and bolted out of the door, notebook still in hand. People were running away at top speed, making it difficult to go to my destination. It was the bar.

There was a dreadfully ominous roaring that filled the halls. It made people grab the sides of their heads and drop in fear. I could barely breathe.

It was the roar of Acnologia.

My eyes watered, but I pushed forward. I made it to the opening of the wide casino-like room; Gray, Erza, and Mira had already made it to the scene. Three of the walls were decimated to nothing more than rubble, piercing random, unfortunate bystanders with deadly shrapnel. Five Fairy Tail mages were lined up defensively in front of a man.

Zeref. Zeref made the roar, not Acnologia.

Nobody got close to him, and they were all highly on guard. Juvia and Gajeel made their slick, quiet entrance from a doorway to my right. I tiptoed along with them, standing to the left of Lisanna—more than happy to be protected by Natsu. Happy, Charle, and Lily were hovering overhead, and Wendy tripped into the bar.

"…now that everyone seems to be here," Zeref started quietly, "shall I give you my reasons for appearing?"

Mages of Sabertooth started to creep in behind him, evenly matching the present Fairy Tail people.

"Natsu… are you prepared to kill me yet?" Zeref whispered, slightly tilting his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll take you on any day."

Zeref sighed. "So sad… then, I suppose, I'll have to kill everything you love. Starting with your woman."

Lisanna widened her eyes in shock, and I moved in front of her, prepared to save her when needed to. It stung, but that didn't matter. We were both equally as shocked when I was smacked to the ground by an unknown source.

"Lucy! No!" Natsu tried to grab me, but I was pulled away from him, into the arms of Zeref. I glared up at him.

"You've got the wrong girl," I growled.

He looked down at me, expressionless. "How modest. But I'm sure I've the right one." We saw Natsu's look of fury, and I thought he might be right. That didn't make me any happier at that moment. I chomped on his arm furiously, trying to make him let go.

"Attack."

And we're gone.

Zeref was circling me. We were floating in the air, way above everything else.

"The demon flute, Lullaby, has been resurrected." He used a binding magic on me, so I was unable to move. _I'll remain defiant, though, bound or not._

"So, if _you _don't destroy Fairy Tail, _I _will." He brushed his lips against my ear once he was behind me. He cradled my shoulders, wanting me undamaged for my foreseen attack on Fairy Tail.

Abruptly, Zeref crushed my shoulders and bit my neck. I whimpered and tried to lean away, but it didn't work. I felt a cold magic rocket its way through me.

"Now go," he commanded, releasing my invisible shackles. I was able to move, but I silently refused.

"Go!" he roared, shocking a pink magic out of me. That magic had no presence in me, so I had no control over it.

"If you won't go willingly, I'll just make you forget." He drew his hand across my forehead, and my vision grew foggy. "Now," he smiled softly, "go and destroy your beloved Natsu—and everything he loves."

**. . .x. . .**

I was on the ground again, and a notebook flew out of my pocket. Where was I? Why was there so much fighting? There was magic flying this way and that, hurting others. Gajeel jumped protectively in front of Levy, who landed in front of me. Jet and Droy darted forward to assault her attacker. She saw the notebook and grabbed it quickly. Jellal and Juvia were fighting back-to-back, and Erza left their side.

"Lucy?"

"Who am I? Do you know me?"

"You're Lucy, a member of—" The pink magic shoots out from me and slaps her brutally into the air.

_Stop fighting! This is scary! Get away from me!_ I was thinking. She landed a few feet away, and Jellal screamed her name.

A dazzling blaze of fire whipped past me, yanking something from me. I landed hard on the ground, confused and scared.

Natsu was looking down at me, my keys and a blue ribbon in his hand.

I got angry. _Give my things back to me!_

The thought evoked an emotion from the pink, and it shot out and impaled him in the stomach, twisting cruelly.

Natsu coughed up blood, staining his scarf, and Wendy started yelling his name.

"LUCYYY!" He bellowed at me. I got frightened again, so the pink started attacking more people. It stabbed Gajeel's arm. It stabbed Cana in the chest. She looked over at me, horrified, but then the light in her eyes died. "Cana! NO!" someone shrieked. The pink fired every which way.

"I just want to know what's going on," I cried. "I want to know who I am!"

Levy looked at me then flipped through the notebook in her hand. She barely dodged a pink spike. She scribbled something quickly on one of the pages. Using her word magic, she summoned the words off of the page and onto my body.

I was fading away, my inner self willing the pink to get me out of there.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouts again. "Promise me! Don't forget me!"

Coughing again, right before I disappeared, he added, "I love you!"

…..X…x…X…..

There's too much blood on the floor. I feel myself fading away again, just like before. Except this time, it's colder. Only a moment has passed since Minerva stabbed me.

Shit. This feeling isn't good, is it?

I want to smile at Natsu before my eyes close. I barely see him when I look over, but he looks mortified.

_I remember, Natsu. I remember you._

My eyes close, and all I see is black for a split second.


	6. Chapter 6

Minerva stabs Lucy through her back. The shackles around her body are released, and she collapses below the blade. She looks shocked for a moment, and then she tries to look into the crowd. She smiles very softly. Her eyes shut.

Lucy Heartfilia is dead.

Natsu slumps to the ground on his knees, his eyes glazing over. Gray stares in shock. Lisanna whimpers in disbelief.

"Lucy!" Erza yells. She launches herself forward at Minerva, who just smirks. Minerva points her blade at the furious Fairy Tail mage with Lucy still on it. Erza freezes and spits on the ground in disgust.

"Let Lucy go," Lisanna snarls, stepping up next to Erza. Minerva lets out a condescending "hmph" and drops the tip of her sword. Lucy falls of off it with a sickening thud.

"Flame-brain," Gajeel growls, "get up!" His arm transforms into a metal rod, and he lands a heavy punch on Sting's face. After that single punch, all Hell breaks loose. Laxus starts firing lightning, both Mira and Elfman use their beast-take-over magic, and Gray jumps into the fighting vigorously.

Erza re-quips into her purgatory armor and tells Lisanna to bring Lucy's body to safety. Lisanna obliges, scooping up Lucy in her arms. The quiet mage brushes strands of hair out of Lucy's face. _She looks so beautiful, _she thinks. Tears of grief start pouring out of her eyes. _Natsu… I'm so sorry…_

Levy crouches in from of Natsu, creating a word of fire with her solid script magic.

"Natsu," she whispers commandingly. "Save Lucy from defilement." The distraught dragon slayer looked up into the crying bluenette's hazel eyes. "Please."

Natsu looks over at Lucy, held in Lisanna's arms. He feels a fury building in his chest. He stands slowly, devouring the fire that levy made for him. Wrathful flames start to resonate around his body. His gaze finds Minerva, who is locked in fierce combat with Erza. As fast as Laxus's lightning, Natsu bolts forward, catching Minerva off guard. He seizes her throat in a choke-hold. She gags and buries her blade in Natsu's shoulder. He takes no notice. There's a flash of fear on the woman's face, but she tries to regain her composure the best she can. Erza steps back, shocked.

"Why?" Natsu glowers menacingly at the sly she-mage. "Why are you working with Zeref?"

"P…power… and glory…" she coughs, gasping furiously for air, "'kill the… the fairies… and it's… all yours'…he said…" Natsu tightens his hands around her throat. "Then why… why did you attack _LUCY?_" Without releasing his grip, he slams her into the ground. A cloud of dust from the rubble floats into the air. "WHY?" he roars.

Minerva almost loses consciousness. She can barely feel the boiling tear drops hit her face.

"Well, you've failed." Natsu's voice grew quiet. He stares at her, expressionless. "Lucy can't be dead."

Wendy collapses on the ground suddenly, causing Charle to cry out in alarm. Happy and Lily flew in beside her.

"Wendy? Wendy, what's wrong?"

The small girl stares into space, renewed tears flowing down her face. "Grandeeney…!"

There's an enormous smash, and the roof of Fairy Tail is gone. There are two dragons circling in the sky, battling. Clashes of black magic and fire are erupting in the sky. Two more dragons make a landing on the outside of Fairy Tail, crushing Sabertooth and Zeref's forces. The enemy mages look up, horrified, and start fighting faster. Grandeeney plucks Lucy up by the collar of her shirt and out of Lisanna's arms. Lisanna looks up, worried, until Wendy runs over to reassure her.

"That's my dragon, Grandeeney!" Wendy looks the happiest that Lisanna had seen her in a long time, and she felt relieved.

Grandeeney turns sideways, so her tail whips a few enemies in the process. Metalicana roars ferociously. The mages of Sabertooth duck in fear, succeeding in making themselves vulnerable.

Levy cries out as a man pulls out a knife and aims at her head. She dances around him, avoiding the knife. Gajeel tries to save her, but a fat woman bowls him over. Cursing, he fights her quickly. He takes up too much time. Levy is already tripping, and the man sees his immediate advantage.

"Levy, no!"

Metalicana reaches into the guild with his long neck and clutches the fabric around Levy's waist. He swiftly pulls her up and out of harm's way. Somebody else runs up and finishes the battle with the knife man.

Meanwhile, Igneel and Acnologia are fighting skillfully against each other. Igneel isn't making any severe damage, but neither is the latter. _It's at least enough to keep him from attacking the guild, _Igneel grumbles.

Natsu looks up, utterly stupefied.

"Igneel…!"

Natsu's hold on Minerva's straining throat is loosened, but she's already unconscious. Erza claps a hand on Natsu's shoulder and smiles. "I'm happy for you, but we need to fight." Natsu nods to her. He looks over at Grandeeney first, outside of the guild. The Sabertooth mages have fled from that area. He jogs over to her, slipping on a puddle along the way.

Lucy is lying on the ground, the wounds on her body restored.

_She had a lot of internal damage, _Grandeeney says to Natsu, looking down. _Those wounds were not fully healed, and they helped to deteriorate her body. She only thought they were alright._

"So Lucy's going to be okay?" Natsu asks hopefully.

_I can only restore her body, _Grandeeney replies sadly. _Her spirit is in the hands of the Celestial Spirit King now. _

Natsu's heart plummets again.

Abruptly, there's a shimmering light in front of the pair of dragons. Loke and Virgo appear and kneel in front of Lucy. Loke picks her up princess-style and turns his back on the dumbfounded dragon slayer. That moron doesn't deserve to see his tears.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Natsu shouts angrily.

"Not again," Loke murmurs, choking on the lump in his throat. "I'm not letting my master die on my watch again."

Natsu attempts to move forward, but Virgo moves in his way.

"We don't have time for punishment today."

And with that, they vanish.

…..X…x…X…..

"Lucy," someone calls. "Lucy, open your eyes."

I open my eyes reluctantly, but then I realize the pain is gone from… well, from everywhere. _Fairy Tail must've pulled through after all and healed me._

I sit up and look up, growing more and more dismayed at what I see. Everywhere around me is a blue, starry sky. I'm in the celestial world, and Aries and Aquarius are standing next to me. "I-I'm sorry… Lucy…" Aries squeaks.

"Aquarius, why…?" I start, dreading to finish my question. Aquarius looks away, furrowing her eyebrows together. I feel horror shimmying down my body.

"I'm… I'm dead…" I start to laugh. "That's not right, it was only one stab wound!"

"Stupid," Aquarius interjects. "You know better." She closes her eyes.

"That's not right!" I shout. "_That's not right!_" Natsu. Natsu's going to be heartbroken. And what about Levy and Mira and Erza? The drops from my eyes turn to sparkles after they fall off of my face. I smirk. Of course my tears wouldn't even be real anymore…

There's a shimmering in front of the three of us, and Loke and Virgo have are standing there. Loke has my natural body in his arms. It's been fully healed.

"Did Wendy do this?" I ask weakly. Virgo shakes her head while Loke lies "me" down on the ground.

"The dragon Grandeeney healed all of your wounds."

"Dragon? _All _of my wounds?"

"Wendy's dragon," Loke adds, standing upright. "And she said you had a lot of internal wounds you didn't know about."

The Gemini twins came hopping in.

"We transformed into the dragon so we could hear her thoughts," Gemi says.

"She said you took a lot of damage from a beating you got," Mini adds.

I think hard. After I disappeared from the battlefield, I ended up in an old town. There were a bunch of thugs in an alleyway I didn't see. They came up and tried to mug me, but I didn't have anything, so they started beating me.

That must've been it.

So Minerva's blow to my stomach and back was the thing that pushed my body over the edge…

A new thought occurs to me.

"Why am I in the celestial world, though?"

Aquarius, Aries, and Loke all exchange glances.

"You have—had, as it were—an immense celestial power."

The Celestial Spirit King pops up out of nowhere, and a great wind whips around us.

"This power was very great, and could be advantageous to the Celestial world. I want you to become a celestial spirit."


	7. Chapter 7

I'm soooo sorry about the delay! I'll try to be better next time! I hope you enjoy

* * *

A… a celestial spirit? He wants me to become a celestial spirit?

"King, do you really mean that?" Loke asks, astonished.

"Of course I do," the King replies. "I don't take these things lightly. As a human, her celestial power was so incredible that she hadn't even completely unlocked it yet." The present celestial spirits murmur amongst themselves, and the rest of my spirits file in and surround me in a semi-circle.

"Lucy," Virgo kneels next to me and pats my shoulder, "is this what you want?"

Is this what I want? I'm thinking really hard. If I become a celestial spirit, I may get to see Fairy Tail and everybody again. But, it may be a situation where I have to fight them, and I couldn't stay in the human world for too long without suffering. I wouldn't be able to be with Natsu…

"No," I whisper. "I can't do that." There're too many downsides to this option. I want to be alive again. "Can you put me back in my body?"

The King looks down at me. "You'd have me switch around the rules so you can be human again?" I stand up and face him defiantly.

"Yes, I would. You've done it once before, haven't you?" The King knows exactly what I'm referring to—the time when Loke was about to die.

"I have," the King agrees. "But I cannot go bending rules this way and that just for one girl with no extraordinary circumstances."

"You're wrong."

I turn around, dumbfounded. Aquarius stood up for me!

"She _has _extraordinary circumstances; you want to turn her into a spirit. She declined your offer. You can return her now."

…..X…x…X…..

_Lucy's not gone. She can't be gone._

Natsu watches as the mages of Sabertooth run away. The battle with Acnologia is dying down because of Igneel's and Metalicana's fierce team attacks. Acnologia is retreating, as well.

Erza and Gray are at Natsu's side in a flash.

"Natsu," Erza starts, clasping a hand on his shoulder roughly, "are you going to be ok…?" She hears the catch in her breath and clears her throat.

"What are you talking about?" There's a shadow over Natsu's eyes, and he's keeping his head tilted downward.

"What are we…? Lucy is—" Gray is cut off. The muddled dragon slayer's face shoots up suddenly. His stare is completely expressionless.

"Lucy's not dead. She's _not_ dead."

Levy overhears him and starts to weep. Gajeel is at her side shortly after that, holding her close and glaring at the pink-haired idiot a few feet away.

"Hey, why don't you take a reality check?" the iron dragon growls threateningly. "I don't like it either, but she's gone. And, to top it off, that lion freak took her body." Natsu whips around and glowers at the other dragon slayer, who turns his body so that Levy is shielded. Gray steps in front of Natsu and shakes his head. Natsu backs off and hangs his head again. He looks remotely like a puppy that just lost its owner.

Wendy makes her way slowly towards Grandeeney, completely and utterly shocked by all that had happened. Tears are creeping down her face. She whispers for her dragon and slumps on the ground. Grandeeney crouches in front of her quickly and gracefully, nudging Wendy's forehead gently.

Lisanna is talking with Laxus.

"Do you know when Master will be back?" she inquires softly, trying to stop herself from crying.

"I don't," Laxus sighs in reply. "I think Jellal should be making his way here sometime soon, though, with news on Master's whereabouts." He ruffles Lisanna's hair. "Cheer up. It'll be ok." And with that, he starts making his way around to find Evergreen and Bixlow.

Jellal's silhouette starts to form at the tree line around where Grandeeney is. He materializes next to Wendy, pats her head, and strides towards Erza.

"What happened?" he asks soberly. She explains in as few words as possible, choking up at the parts of the story where she mentions Lucy. Jellal nods slowly and asks where Laxus is. Erza points towards the destroyed guild, and then she steps aside so Jellal can pass. As he starts to step forward, he holds her hand briefly, kisses her cheek, lets go, and leaves wistfully. Erza lets her tears fall.

Natsu sees Erza crying. "Erza, why…?

"Lucy… is gone." The red-haired mage steps up to Natsu. "You need to accept that, Natsu." He shakes his head slowly.

"No."

"Natsu!"

"No!" Natsu roars, pushing her away. Soft little droplets of the bittersweet water stream down his face. "She's not gone! Lucy's not dead! Lucy… Lucy…!" The fire mage drops on his knees and digs his fingers into the earth. The dirt pours out from in between his appendages, soaking up the tears from the loving Natsu's face.

"Don't cry, Natsu," a deceptive voice purrs. Zeref tilts Natsu's face up gently, and Erza and Gray take guard quickly. The Fairy Tail mages become more defensive.

"When the hell did you get here?" Gajeel snarls, hiding his alarm.

"I have no business with you," Zeref replies shortly. "I need the strongest one here."

"Bastard…!" As soon as Gajeel steps forward to fight, the dark mage holds one hand up, facing towards the former. There's a small blast that hits the iron dragon slayer's chest, sending him flying. Levy cries out in worry, but tries to hold her ground as Metalicana lands protectively next to Gajeel.

"Natsu," Zeref returns his full attention to the silent mage in front of him, "are you sure you're ready?"

"Lucy…" Natsu murmurs, his eyes widening slowly. His gaze focuses solely on Zeref now, and the edges of his vision are turning a fire red. "This is your fault!" he growls.

"That's good," Zeref smiles, "anger is very good."

Natsu grows more furious by the second. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he roars.

"Natsu, wait!" Erza calls, trying to stop him. Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandeeney have clustered around one area of the clearing, and Acnologia is nowhere to be seen. There are wisps of fire smoldering the grass from the fight. The dragons are neither attacking nor aiding the Fairy Tail mages, but they are putting forth an ominous aura—the aura that belongs to Zeref. Their eyes are glowing wickedly.

Natsu launches himself forward, landing a solid punch to Zeref's face. The fire from that punch engulfs the dark man's head, and Natsu slams him repeatedly with more attacks. He doesn't even feel fury anymore, just the sense that destroying the man in front of him will fix everything. The flames around Zeref dissipate quickly.

There's an earth-shattering wail that makes Natsu freeze in his tracks. It's Igneel.

Igneel flies forward and smashes his son in the chest with his talons. The hit slightly reopens the wound that Lucy gave him, and he coughs up a little blood.

Natsu looks up at Igneel once he hits the ground. His face is a mirror of hurt, betrayal, and confusion, but the dragon's eyes above him look soulless.

…..X…x…X…..

"Why are you going to turn down this offer?" the King asks me.

"I need to be with Fairy Tail," I pause, "and Natsu." The King looks down at me skeptically.

"I'll do anything." I stare at him defiantly.

"I don't doubt it," he muses in reply.

"Fairy Tail is in danger!" a voice shouts, running into the starry void where the King and I are standing. I turn around in alarm.

"What?"

It's Loke, and he catches up and grabs my arm.

"Fairy Tail is in serious danger. The dragons have turned."

"Turned?"

"Igneel… Igneel attacked Natsu." Loke turns towards the King, who has said nothing.

"Let Lucy go back. She can help them."

"I can have a trial for her."

I look up hopefully. I'm a mage of Fairy Tail; I can pass any trial.

"I will put you into battle with them."


End file.
